December 2012 archive

It’s that time again, the New Year is almost here and I always look forward to a fresh start and thinking about the things I’d like to accomplish in the year ahead. I hope you all have a wonderful New Years Eve with many amazing things to come in 2013! I’d love to hear what some of your wishes and resolutions are for the New Year…

This week, I’m most looking forward to a clean agenda and simply enjoying time with loved ones over great food and wine. That is the only “little thing” on my list- savoring the season and being thankful for the amazing family and friends that I am so very lucky to have. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, filled with all the things that matter most. Merry Christmas Eve.

Saturday was the perfect ending to a chaotic, but productive, week. The weather was really beautiful and the streets were surprisingly crowded with people eager for some sunlight and a casual stroll. With that, we ended up at Mast Brothers in Brooklyn. I had seen and heard so much about this chocolate company as their funky candy wrappings and unique flavors are quite the hit amongst chocolate lovers. The shop is situated just up the block from the Brooklyn waterfront and from the moment we walked in, it was chocolate heaven. The retail space in front houses a nice assortment of their various flavors as well as cookies and other treats. Large burlap sacks filled with cacao beans provide the barrier that separates the retail space from the chocolate factory in the back where the workers can be seen furiously mixing and making chocolates. After sampling some (too many?) of the flavors, we scooped up a few of our favorite bars and were on our way. Here are a few of the pics:

This year, I’m feeling like Christmas is sort of sneaking up on me and I am not prepared at all. I’ve yet to finish up my shopping list, shop for gifts and luckily, I managed to squeeze in some time to put up the tree over the weekend. This year, I’m hoping to avoid the crowds by getting most of my shopping done online. But I better get cracking soon, or my gifts may miss the Christmas Day deadline. One of my favorite things to do once my shopping is done and everyone’s gifts are lined up in the living room waiting to be wrapped, is tying it all together with coordinated, fun, wrapping paper and bows. When I was younger, my best friend and I would always try to outdo the other by seeing who’s presents were wrapped more creatively or who had the better paper. It was a fun way of challenging each other to see who could create the better looking gifts. I have to say, she would usually beat me each year. I hope you are all enjoying your holiday preparations. Here are a few of my pics from this year and last.

The past 2 weeks have been non-stop busy. The only thing that’s been keeping me sane are the lazy Saturdays that my boyfriend and I are growing accustomed to. Our Saturdays, more recently, are consisting of: sleeping in, heading to Williamsburg for a sleepy brunch, taking a brisk stroll and popping into some local mom and pops. Therefore, it was no surprise that today followed that same pattern. Here are a few of our pic(k)s.